Child of the Titans
by Sa Rart
Summary: As the power of the Titans grows, the fate of Western Civilization is grim. With Zoë Nightshade dead, its last hope was lost. The Hunt and the demigods must unite once more to bring her back from Erebus. The Fifth Age depends on the outcome... AU.
1. Anaklusmos

**Disclaimer: I do not own the PJO series. I only own my own ideas, and the materials, weapons, and characters that I put into my stories.**

**Author's Note: If you haven't already, you definitely should read my other story, Forgotten, before reading this story. If you do not, you shall be utterly lost in everything that I write. So either read Forgotten, or do not read this story. Your choice.**

**There are three OCs in this story: Soaron, a 14-year-old son of Hekate; Cassandra, a 12-year-old unclaimed child, and little Nick, a 6-year-old son of Apollo. If you utterly hate OCs and refuse to read them, I wouldn't read this story. **

**Note: Percy, Annabeth, and the rest of them are still the main characters. Just check the POV before you read. This chapter is Percy's. If I do not put a POV, assume it is Percy's POV. Understood? **

**This story takes place right after BOTL.**

Eerie singing filtered into my ears, finding its way into my dreams. I hate dreams; I have never, ever had a good dream. Always bad dreams or prophetic dreams. Sometimes I actually get some sleep, too.

I woke up instantly. The funny thing was, the singing didn't stop after I woke. It continued, haunting, beautiful, and terrifying. I recognized the song of the Hesperids, from the Garden. But what was it doing here? The Hesperids lived in San Francisco. I was in New York.

It continued, growing louder and louder. It was coming from my dresser, too. That would be an odd place for an ambush, so I slipped out of bed and crept over.

I opened a drawer, and Anaklusmos sat on top, pulsing with light. The otherworldly voices were coming out of it. I picked it up, and took of the pen cap, wondering what on earth was going on.

Silver light blasted out of the pen, sending me staggering backwards. The voices increased in volume, growing louder and louder. I stuffed cap on, then threw it into the dresser.

The singing continued, albeit muffled. I frowned at the dresser, while puzzling over what this might mean. I decided to call Annabeth in the morning. If anyone could figure out this new development, it was her. At least, if she was willing to talk to me. She had become very withdrawn after the Labyrinth quest.

I shrugged, turned over, and went back to sleep.

But it seemed that the Fates had other ideas. As I slept, I dreamed.

I was standing at the edge of the pit of Tartarus. But the dark presence that had been haunting me for five years was gone.

But that didn't mean that it was empty. There was noise, and the all-consuming darkness that normally hung around the pit was gone. Instead, flickering torchlight was lighting the place from inside the pit.

I peered down into the depths of Tartarus, and was greeted by the sight of monsters. Thousands of monsters were visible in the deeps, and of all kinds; hellhounds, dracanae, Tartarian spawn, Laistragonians, and Echnida's children.

Suddenly, I became aware that I was not the only silent observer. There was another boy, standing right next to the Pit, gazing into its depths. He looked up and saw me. He frowned, then moved fingers like they were claws, and drew them over my face, ripping through my dream like the emposai had.

I awoke yet again, wondering what I had ever done to provoke the Fates.

After I had calmed down a bit, I started to think more about what the dream meant. I wondered who the boy had been. He reminded me of the emposai, Kelli, but, strangely, he also reminded me of Nico. It was something in the air about him, I guess, and the feeling of being outcast.

I went back to sleep, and this time, I slept the night through.

**Sorry, that was really short… I should write more, but this is a good stopping point. Note: If you are reading this, and you have not read Forgotten, read it. You will be lost later on.**

**Next chapter may be a while in forthcoming. Schoolwork is taking over.**

**Sa Rart**


	2. The Underworld

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or Zoë. I do own Odessa and Forgotten. I like to keep things simple.**

**Author's Note: This chapter is a reference my old story, Forgotten. It is about Zoë's shade in the Underworld. Obviously, it is her POV. **

**Thanks to my reviewers, including MyPenIsSharperThanYourSword, Jason Strong, and Storm-Brain for their reviews.**

**Here is Chapter 2(Which should have been a prologue)!**

The pain faded. I dared to open my eyes to find myself in another place completely. A small room, with steel-gray walls that you could hardly see with all the people there. People were everywhere. The strange thing was, no one was doing anything.

I mean, nowadays, people are always in a rush to go wherever as fast as they can, do whatever they can, then rush somewhere else as if every second counted. But no one was doing that here. And I wasn't going to ked myself, and think that I had suddenly ended up in a meeting of the progressive people of the age (not that there were many).

In the back of the room, right next to the elevator, there was a raised podium. A man in a silk Italian suit was lounging on it, wearing black shades over his eyes. I knew instinctively that this was Charon.

I started towards him, only to feel a sharp pain shoot through my chest. I gasped, convulsing, only to have a similar pain shoot through me. Lastly, a tingling sensation ran through me, causing the surface of my skin to flare silver.

I grimaced and got back to my feet. I had no idea what this was all about. Then, as it had for the past three thousand years, the knowledge popped into my mind. It was nice to know things, but it got kind of old after so long. You wouldn't believe the headaches I could get.

_You have split your soul, Zoë Nightshade. You belong to various worlds now. You do not belong in the Underworld, and yet you do. Your swords and your starry self split you. _

_Does that mean I'm not dead? _I asked myself silently.

_You are not, but you cannot leave the Underworld without help. And you still have a quest to follow, one that does not exist by my voice, but in your heart. You know what you must do._

I grumbled something to myself about Oracles who thought too highly of themselves, and started forward again to Charon. My fingers closed around the drachma that I had kept with me ever since I received the prophecy in Camp Half-Blood.

"Zoë Nightshade," I told him, slapping my drachma in front of him. "I request passage to the Underworld, Charon, son of Nyx."

Those black glasses rose to inspect me, and an involuntary shudder went through me. Charon was older than me, and more powerful. He was created before Ouranos, before the Titans. I knew that, powerful as I was, I did not stand a chance against him if he refused to take me.

"I'm a busy man, girl. Why should I take you this second? You're dead. I'm not. If you care to take a seat, I'll take you down in a couple years. All you've got ahead of you is waiting – may as well be here."

"That would be true, Charon, except I have paid. You are bound by the laws of Hades to take not just me, but all who can pay to the Underworld. If I invoke it, you are duty-bound to take us immediately. And I invoke it, as it is my right." It felt good to have authority again. Thalia never listened to anyone, and Percy was similar. And Bianca… I would most likely find her down here.

Charon hissed like a snake, briefly losing control. Then his face became carefully neutral once more. "As you command, _former _lieutenant."

The words found their mark. I bowed my head slightly. "I am sorry for the inconvenience, Mister Charon, but I must reach the Underworld with all possible speed. When I return here for the second time, I will be sure to bring extra drachma as suitable payment. You have my word."

Charon sighed. "Very well." He strode over to the elevator and stuck a card into a slot next to it. The doors slid open, and the spirits flowed inside.

The doors closed behind us, and we started to descend. I felt a prickling sensation all over me, and then pain exploded through me again. I shrieked, clawing at my temples, heaving huge gasps of air. I opened my eyes to find myself lying on the floor of the barge as the Keeper of the Underworld poled it across the River Styx.

"Well, well," mused Charon. "Still partly connected to the world above? That doesn't happen much. I would think it to be a lover, but you were a Huntress, so I'd guess not."

I gritted my teeth.

The barge reached the other side of the river, and the spirits rushed off, eager to get to the Field. I shook my head. Fools.

I strode forward, head high, just as it had always been in life. I wondered what the judges would decide for me. Elysium would be nice, but I would want permission to move between the realms. Reincarnation, maybe, but I would want to keep my memories. Four thousand years of emotional baggage meant a lot to me.

"Zoë Nightshade?" It was one of the security ghouls, standing at my shoulder. "Come with me. The judges wish to see you immediately."

I felt a slight jolt of fear. The judges generally only saw the truly evil people first. True, I had done some things over the past three thousand years that I was not proud of, but… was I really that bad?

As I entered the court, one of the judges stood up and executed an old-fashioned bow, like they used several hundred years ago. I allowed a slight smile to crease my lips. I knew this man.

"Thomas," I said. "I have not seen you for a while. How fare thee?"

Thomas Jefferson, writer of the Declaration of Independence, smiled back. "Good to see you too, Zoë. Still talking like a noble from the fifteenth century?"

I shrugged. "That is when I learned English. It changes far too often, anyway. It is bad enough that Latin is now unspoken in the world of the mortals. It was quite annoying having to write the Declaration in such a weird language."

The second judge shuffled his papers. It was George Washington, son of Athena. I knew him well, from the crossing of the Delaware. That had been an easy battle. The Hessians were sleeping after a Christmas feast, and not one troop on either side had been killed.

The third judge was King Minos, a sinister figure from Ancient Crete. He had died hunting down Daedelus, the inventor. Legend had it that Daedelus was still alive, somewhere. Three thousand years later, I somewhat doubted that.

I swallowed back my fear and spoke first. "Why have I been brought here? Am I to be subjected to the Fields of Punishment?"

Washington shook his head. "No, no, of course not." He looked up and met my gaze.

Minos said nothing, but he glared at me.

Jefferson shuffled his papers. Then he looked up and declared, "Zoë has fought against the Titans for over three thousand years. Most of the deeds that she has wrought have been grand indeed, and far outweigh the few bad actions that she has made. I, as judge of the Underworld, propose that she is free to go to Elysium, or perhaps even the Isles of the Blessed."

Minos shook his head. "The Isles are only for those who are reincarnated, and achieve Elysium multiple times. I say that she be sent to Asphodel for several years before being moved to the lower reaches of Elysium.

Washington looked at Minos calmly. "Zoë has achieved Elysium, at least the second level. She should _not _be subjected for time in Asphodel, and you well know it, Minos. There is a reason that you could be removed from the judging of the Underworld."

"I disagree!"

All four of us turned in surprise at this new voice. It was light and feminine, and quite familiar.

Odessa stood in the doorway to the courtroom, still dressed in a Hunter's lieutenant garb. Her crystal blue eyes glittered fiercely at the three judges.

"Jefferson and Washington. You, of all people, should know. If someone such as Zoë has lived a great life, then she should be able to choose her own fate. The Declaration of Independence was based on the idea of free will, and you fought for it. Your men died for it! So live up to it, and let people have free will, and fair judgment. It was your fellow countrymen that protested taxation without representation, and is this any different? Let Zoë choose!"

All of us stared in shock at Odessa. The dead who were clamoring for the next trial to begin fell silent as well.

"Huntress, you forget your place," barked Minos. "Leave us." He raised a hand, and an unseen hand began to shove Odessa away.

"Stop!" roared Washington. "She is right. Free will is essential." He swept a hand, and the unseen force was pushed away.

Ignoring the awkward silence, he gestured to me. "What do you choose?"

I swallowed nervousness back. "Well," I began hesitantly. "I have put my soul out into weapons in the world above. I am split, unable to fully belong to both worlds."  
Jefferson sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I hate complications," he complained. "How much did you put out?"  
I tipped my head, considering the question. "About a third," I admitted.

Minos shrugged. "Not enough to be a problem."

"_But_," I said, glaring at Minos, "Lady Artemis also took part of me and put it into the constellations. About half, as normal."

"That means… about a third of you is here," said Washington.

I nodded. "More tethers me to life than death, sir."  
Odessa suddenly realized what I was attempting to say. "And," she finished, "If someone… let's say a Huntress, or maybe even Lady Artemis herself, wished to bring her shade back out. It was the same with Orpheus, was it not, Lord Hades?" she asked, turning towards the side of the courtroom.

Hades stood there, in full god form. On his head was the Helm of Darkness, and he wore black robes with screaming heads patterning it. I wasn't overly impressed. If you've seen one god, you've seen them all.

"It is so," agreed Hades. "But I am reluctant to give up a soul, especially one as powerful as you, Huntress."  
I saw that one coming. "However, Lord Hades, I have something that must become known in the world of mortals. It is a secret, hidden, that could sway the upcoming war with the Titans. And, as you know, direct intervention is forbidden, so I must be the one that tells them, not you, my lord."

Hades nodded once, and then disappeared.

I turned to the judges. One by one, they nodded acceptance.

"Also," I said, "I request permission to move between the realms of the Underworld while I remain here."

"Agreed," said Washington, and struck the desk with his hammer.

I turned and strode over to Odessa and embraced her. "But we must go," I told her. "I must find Bianca di Angelo."

Several days later, we did, in the lower reaches of Elysium. Her shade was covered in wounds, especially bruises and burns. I frowned. Spirits were healed when they died, so something was not adding up here.

"Bianca!" I called. She turned, eyes widening. "Zoë?" she whispered.

"What happened to thee?" I demanded. "Why are you wounded now, after death?"

Bianca shrugged. "They never healed. After Talos collapsed, I was trapped in him. Then I just… sort of appeared here, I guess."

I frowned. Something wasn't right here. "Did you ever take Charon's ferry down here? Or were you judged?"

She frowned in puzzlement, trying to remember. "No, I don't think so."

Suddenly Odessa gasped. "I have seen this before," she said. "You are a daughter of Hades, right?"

"Yes…"

Odessa turned to me, eyes wide. "Sons and daughters of Hades have the unique ability to move between shade and body. But if their body is injured, the injuries will show on their shade."  
"So I'm… not dead?" asked Bianca, eyes hopeful.

Odessa shook her head. "You probably aren't. Your body could have been killed while you were gone, but I doubt it. You have to visualize your body, try and move back into it."  
"My brother!" she said, suddenly. "He summoned me… and I told him I was dead! Zoë, if you see him, you have to tell him I'm not dead!"

"I will," I said reassuringly. "But you must go back now."

Bianca looked nervous. "Zoë… if I do make it back, I'll be an eleven-year-old girl, with no water or food, trapped somewhere in those godforsaken wastelands. How will I survive after that? How will I return to everyone else?

"No," I told her quietly. "You are a Hunter. You will not die of thirst or hunger, and, although your wounds will not heal without them, you can survive. Get to civilization. You'll live after that."

She nodded. "I'll try. Thank you Zoë. And thank you…"

"Odessa," Odessa supplied.

"Thank you, Odessa. Good luck to both of you."

Bianca looked up to the roof of the cavern, and then slowly dissolved into mist, which seeped upwards until it was lost to sight.

"Artemis," I murmured. "Help her."

"Yes. Όλες οι θεοί και θεότητες, την βοηθήσει. Άστη να ζήσουν." Ancient Greek for "All gods and goddesses, help her."

"Μέχρι να Mote." So mote it be.

**That was a long chapter. Sorry for the long wait – school is taking its toll. This is the last we will hear from Bianca for quite some time. We will hear more from Zoë later.**

**I took two things from Tamora Pierce: look for the footnotes to find them. Both great quotes, and I had to put them in.**

**Thanks again to my reviewers!**

**Sa Rart**


	3. Goode Goes Up in Flames

**Disclaimer: I do not own the PJO series.**

**Author's Note: Thanks to all my reviewers! BTW, constructive criticism is always welcome. I need feedback on my story, so that I can edit and revise. Sometimes I am too eager to post, and I make mistakes. I'm human. Aren't we all?**

**Also, I'm very disheartened by the lack of reviews. Any readers from last story: Zoë will come back soon. Just wait.**

**Also, go to my profile to vote in a quick PJO poll. Thanks again!  
**

I woke up early that morning, planning to Iris-message Annabeth. I needed to talk to someone.

And yet… Part of me was reluctant to contact her. She was so distant.

I shook myself. I needed to do this, whether I did it now or later.

"O goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering," I intoned, throwing in the drachma. The rainbow shimmered slightly. I swallowed. "Annabeth Chase," I said. "San Francisco."

The image glowed, shimmered, then settled. Then the drachma was spat back out of the mist.

_We're sorry,_ said a female voice said pleasantly. _Your requested audience is not available at this time. Please try again later._

I sat back, pondering this latest development. Why would Annabeth not be available?

As I realized, I almost laughed aloud at my mistake. San Francisco was three hours behind New York. In Frisco, it was about three in the morning. Duh.

I would have to try again after school. Hopefully, her school got out at a similar time. The last thing I needed was to suddenly show up in a rainbow from across the country.

First day of school. Maybe Goode would actually be good. I already had one friend there – I might even make another. And, with any luck, I might not blow up the school. Again.

And I was right. It wouldn't be me that blew it up.

First period was English. Probably my least favorite subject. When you're dyslexic and have ADHD, it's impossible to sit in a desk, read tiny print, and sit still. Add the bonus of searching every classmate, teacher, and passerby for signs of monstrous activity… The result is not fun.

On the bright side, Rachel was in my English class. I would have a friend, plus a monster-detector. For those of you that don't already know, Rachel is one of the few humans with the ability to see through Mist. She could see any monster attempting to sneak up on me or any other monster before they ever got close. That was definitely an asset.

Before class started, I went up to her for a brief chat.

"Hello," she greeted me, before I could say a word. "Still in one piece?" Weird what life in the modern day and age was.

"Pretty much," I replied. "I just hope that I can remain in one piece for the rest of the year."

"None of them in here," Rachel informed me. "But…Hm."

My senses suddenly went on hyper alert. "Who? Where?"

"Oh, nobody. No monsters, at least. Just him."

I looked where she indicated, but I saw nothing but a dark-haired boy sitting at a desk.

"And?" I asked. "What is it?"

"I don't know. But sit down, class is starting."

I obliged, but the boy... I knew him. I had seen him before. I knew it.

The bell rang, and right on cue, the teacher starting talking. I didn't pay any attention. All of me was focused on this strange person.

Then he turned, and caught my gaze. His eyes narrowed coldly, and, suddenly, I was unable to look away. It was the same effect as Kronos's pit. I felt woozy, and I started to lose strength.

Suddenly, an inhumane snarl cut through my daze. Simultaneously, we turned to look at the door.

An immense creature filled the doorway. It looked similar to a hellhound, but it was larger, with more powerful shoulders and shorter hind legs. Its head was also far bigger.

I plunged my hand into my pocket, but the other boy was faster yet. He pointed one hand at the creature and let out a harsh, guttural sound. A fireball shot from his hand, consuming both the creature and the doorway as well.

A collective gasp went up from behind me – apparently they could see the flames, too. My mysterious adversary shrugged, and hurled a fireball at me, too.

Heat enveloped me, but I'm a son of Poseidon. My nature makes me difficult to burn. That's not to say it didn't hurt.

And that just about did it. All I wanted to do was peacefully to live my life, with no wars or monsters. Before I know it, I'm dragged into a mythological world, with slobbering monsters at every turn. And now, just as I am starting to _not _get expelled from high school, some random person throws a fireball at me.

My desk was now matchwood, and my hair and clothes were singed. I was not happy. Riptide in my hand, I charged him.

He ran.

What choice did I have? I pursued him. A soon as I went through the doorway, another fireball hit me full force. Spitting out ash, I hauled myself back to my feet, dodging another fireball as it shot back towards me. The errant fireball struck the ceiling, and stayed there. Flames roared out, spreading quickly.

"Cassandra!" the boy yelled. "Out! Now!

The mortals would be hurt! I had to do something.

As we passed the bathroom, I sent a mental wave of power into it. Water exploded from the sinks and toilets, spewing out into the hallway. One blast took my adversary in the face, knocking him off his face.

I sprang at him, slashing with Riptide. The boy managed to twist aside from it, before lashing out with a powerful kick that literally knocked me off my feet. No mortal should have been able to deliver such a blow from a position on the ground. Conclusion? He's not a mortal.

The boy scrambled to his feet and sprinted down the hallway, still calling.

I pulled myself up, and then I was nearly knocked down again by a horde of mortal students fleeing the flames in terror. Someone grabbed me, and pulled me to my feet.

"Percy! Are you all right?" It was Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

"Pretty much," I replied. "Except for the fact that Goode High School is in flames yet again, the fact that some person who is _not _a monster just scorched me with a fireball the size of the Chimera, and the fact that this same person is now on the loose in mortal society."  
"Well," said Rachel as we hurried out of the building, "At least you won't be blamed for it this time."  
"True," I said, but before I could say another word, an immense fireball smashed into us, sending us flying. Rachel cried out once, and then was still. I coughed ash out of my lungs and sat up painfully.

The boy had grabbed a girl who looked younger than the rest of us, and who also looked utterly and completely confused. I stood and limped after them as fast as I could, Riptide still out.

"Soaron, what on earth is going on?" That was the girl.

"Just come _on_, Cassandra, we _really _need to go – oh, _you._" This statement was directed at me. "Can't you stay _away_, you god-cursed spawn of the Titans?" Soaron, as I assume he was called, clenched his fists and his teeth. Another explosion sent me flying. I hit the wall of Goode High School, hard enough for stars to wink across my vision.

That didn't mean I was too dazed to see where they went. The boy withdrew a black coin from his pocket and threw it onto the pavement.

"Anakoche, harma epitribeios!" The Gray Sister's taxi bubbled from the ground, and before the mortals could react, Soaron threw Cassandra into the taxi and leapt in himself, slamming the door. The taxi shot away with the force of a rocket.

It was several minutes before I was able to will myself to rise. When I did, I hobbled over to Rachel and checked her pulse. It was there: faint, but steady. I needed to get her to camp – who knew what excuse I would need to think up for mortal hospitals?

Hopefully, mortals would be allowed to enter with permission. If not, I would need to figure something out. Later, I would sort out the matter of the boy, Soaron.

I glared at the place where he had stood. "I will find you, Soaron," I hissed, before dragging Rachel toward the road. I caught the first taxi I saw, and directed him to Half Blood Hill. It was time for the other part of me to wake up – the part that made me who I was.

**Sorry, that took me forever to write, what with school, activities, and everything else. I've been planning that for a long time…**

**Reviews would be great. I spent hours on this chapter. You can spend a minute or two writing a review. No need to hold yourself back – I love criticism. **

**Until next chapter!**

**Sa Rart**


	4. Retribution

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

**Author's Note: The first part of this chapter is from Soaron's POV, the boy who just blew up the school. I decided some clarification was needed. Thanks again to all my reviewers!**

I ushered Cassandra into the taxi, breathing hard. It took tons of energy to call up fireballs – I was exhausted. But for whatever reason, the fire had hardly singed the boy – or was he a boy? He could be a monster…

Ignoring Cassandra's demands, I yanked the door shut. My most devastating attacks would be useless against this creature. I would have to take shelter, much as I hated it.

"Nick will be all right," I said aloud. "I've summoned a spawn to guard him at his school, so I don't need to worry about that…"

There was only one place that monsters could not go. I would need to go to the camp of god-spawned _maggots_. I hated demigods. So loud, prissy, and overconfident that their parents would protect them. Most of them got killed. Too bad, so sad.

"Camp Half-Blood," I told the quarreling Gray Sisters (My turn! I should get the eye, I'm driving! Give me the tooth!). I could only assume they heard, as Wasp floored the accelerator in the next sentence.

"Soaron, what on _earth _is this all about?!" That was Cassandra, my little sister. Well, okay, she wasn't _really _my sister, and she was only a year younger. She did not have dyslexia, something I was still puzzling over, and she had skipped eighth grade, to my astonishment.

See, she was a demigod, or a demititan, or something like that. Normally, I can sense what kind of aura they have, but hers gave me a headache. I could not for the life of me tell who her divine parent was.

But, point being, she was very angry. And I was really not in the mood to deal with it. She was the only one who could really get under my skin, not counting my two-year-old brother Nick. And when she was angry, you wanted to be several miles away. To make matters worse, she gets carsick; this was bound only to exasperate her mood.

I turned and looked at her, meeting her angry eyes. The sounds of the Gray Sister's ever-present seemed to fade into the backround.

"Look," I said. "Just wait till we get there; the councilors are bound to explain it better than I am."

The taxi lurched, narrowly missing a huge bus at an intersection. Tempest shrieked something, and then began pounding Wasp, who happened to be driving. Anger grabbed the wheel and steered us through an intersection, ignoring the red light.

Cassandra yanked herself back onto the seat, glaring at me. "I don't want to wait till we get to some paltry camp where some egotistical self-important stuck-up idiot can assess how weird I am! I want –" the motion of the taxi threw her into the side, and she paused to yelp, then went on "– _you_! _You're _the one who got us into it, so you can get us out!"

"Arriving at camp!" bawled Tempest, not pausing her pounding of Wasp.

"Come on, time to go," I told Cassandra, and, summoning my magic, I yanked her out of the car with supernatural strength. My little sister gave an involuntary squeak.

"Listen," I told her quietly, but fiercely. "You need to stop acting like a bee-stung bear if you want to live. We are about to enter a place that is both the safest and the most dangerous place we have ever been. Listen carefully, but remember that there is more than one side to the argument. The people here are like none you have ever met."

"Just say it straight out. Stop talking in riddles."

"Show no weaknesses. We'll leave in a little while – as soon as I know for certain that the thing that was threatening us is gone. Don't worry about Nick – he'll be fine. I've… arranged a powerful guard or him. Understood?"

Cassandra sighed. "I guess."

"Then let's go."

I pulled her forward, towards the camp. My steps slowed as I got near. Mother Hekate had told me about the legendary borders of Camp Half-Blood. They only allowed half-bloods to enter, or those who had permission from a registered member. Hekate was recognized as a minor goddess nowadays. In reality, she was a powerful Titan who feigned weakness when the victory of the gods became inevitable. She was my mother.

I also knew that I had Athena as my grandmother. That, if nothing else, ought to gain me entry into the camp. I could only hope that they would allow Cassandra in, too.

Taking a deep breath, I strode into the Camp. I felt pressure for a brief instant, then I was fine. Cassandra had no reaction I could see. I breathed a quick sigh of relief.

And then stopped the next instant, frozen at the sight of a bronze dragon curled around a pine tree.

I gathered what little strength I had left, preparing to battle this creature. The dragon uncoiled itself, inspecting us. Then it hissed and bared its teeth, preparing to lunge.

"Stop, Peleus!" This came from a girl about fifteen years old – a child of Athena, judging by her eyes and hair. She ran up, scratching the dragon under its chin. It hissed, releasing steam from its nostrils. It looked… contented.

"Sorry," she said. "We're still training him to guard the fleece, and he is a little bit… touchy when it comes to newcomers." She looked over us critically. "You _are_, newcomers, right? Where are your parents?"

Cassandra started to answer, but I cut her off. "I'm technically the parent – I've been keeping us alive for a while. But my sister here is clueless – I haven't told her yet." I quickly arranged my face into a slightly guilt-ridden expression. "I think Chiron would be the best one to explain it to her."

Cassandra wet rigid at the name _Chiron _– obviously she remembered it from Ancient History. Sometimes I really hate mortal teaching curriculum.

"Okay," said the girl cheerfully. "I'm Annabeth – daughter of Athena. What are your names?"

Unfortunately, Cassandra beat me to it – and she used our real names. "I'm Cassandra, and this is Soaron. What do you mean by 'daughter of Athena'?" Her tone was carefully neutral, but I could feel the tension. Her anger was still ever-present.

"See why we need to talk to Chiron?" I asked, putting slight emphasis on the last couple of sentences. Being a daughter of Athena, she caught my meaning.

"Oh – of course. This way." I took careful note of the direction we were heading, in case we needed to leave in a hurry.

"Just inside here," Annabeth said, ushering us into a gigantic farmhouse – three stories at least. "He'll probably be playing pinnacle with Mr. D. – be polite to him, he's the camp director."

I walked forward, leading Cassandra, hoping against hope that Chiron had lost some of his perceptiveness in the last three thousand years.

Percy's POV

I heaved Rachel into the taxi – a normal taxi, since the other boy – Soaron – had taken the Gray Sisters' – and told the taxi driver my destination.

He frowned. "Looks like the hospital would be better. She needs it." He pointed a stubby finger at Rachel.

I wondered if I should attempt to Mist the man. But I don't like to do that – if I fail, they think I'm crazy.

"Look, this is a private affair. I'll pay you to take us to the strawberry plantation. That's what you do – isn't it? Or should I ask another driver?"

The driver immediately turned around and started driving. I grinned. Taxi drivers will do anything for business. It's not their fault if passengers are crazy – as long as the passenger pays, they're happy.

Twenty minutes later, I was dragging Rachel up the hill towards camp. I stopped to give her permission to enter – I felt a little silly, giving an unconscious person permission to enter – and then half-carried, half-dragged her to the Big House.

I arrived to see Annabeth lounging on the porch. As soon as she saw me, her eyes shot wide open and she ran forward. I was glad to see genuine concern in her eyes – she and Rachel had never been best of friends.

"Oh my gods," she gasped, heaving Rachel up. She felt for a pulse, and then helped me carry her inside.

To my incredible shock, the same dark-haired boy was standing right there, talking to Chiron. Our eyes met, and his widened slightly.

We sprang into action in unison. I dropped Rachel, and then drew and uncapped Riptide. I sprang forward, deadly blade swinging towards him.

Soaron was just as fast. He leapt back, knocking down the girl he ha been talking to at school, Mr. D., and Chiron. He yanked out a long dagger, too.

Our blades met in midair, and a wave of heat instantly swept through Riptide, scorching my hand. I cried out and dropped it. Soaron kicked it away, and then lunged at me with the dagger. I sidestepped, grabbed his wrist, and, with all the strength in m body, threw him to the floor.

He fell, and I reached into my pocket just as Riptide appeared there. I had it out and ready, and sprang at him.

Surprised by the sudden appearance of my blade, Soaron clumsily blocked, and I knocked the dagger out of his hands. He responded with a powerful punch, so powerful that I literally flew back a few paces before crashing to the ground.

He snatched up his dagger, and was stalking towards me when grape vines shot out and entangled his legs, pulling him to the ground and binding him there. When I tried to stand up, I found that the same had happened to me.

Chiron was up now, arrow on bowstring, but he seemed uncertain as to which person to fire at.

Annabeth had laid Rachel on the floor, and now sprang forward and held her knife to Soaron's throat.

Mr. D. was up, with ichor trickling out of a gash on his arm from where one of Chiron's arrows had cut him when he had fallen to the ground.

But Cassandra's anguished cry rang above it all: "Will someone _please _tell me what's going on?!"

"I think I'd like to know that, too," I growled. "Who are you?"

"Give me one good reason why I should," Soaron demanded.

"Because if you don't, I will strangle the both of you, and to Hades with the consequences," growled Mr. D.

Soaron shrugged. "Good reason,"

He managed to twist to glare at me. "I'm fifteen years old. I'm a son of Hekate, goddess of witchcraft and magic. Not the minor goddess you think you know, but the mighty Titan-goddess. She fooled all of the gods into thinking she was some weak little goddess with no power. She isn't. She was just trying to survive.

"My father was a son of Athena. I never really knew him – he died when I was four. The Hydra found him, and he couldn't battle it.

"But Hekate took me in. She trained me, teaching me the art of magic. She could sense the power of the Titans growing. But she didn't want the Titans to rule again. She wanted to live among the gods, and be recognized for who she is.

"Many years later, I was put back on the streets of New York. I met Cassandra, who had run away from an orphanage. I could sense the power in her, but I had no idea who her parent was. I also found Nick at another orphanage. He would have been killed, being a son of Apollo, but I took him in.

"I kept them safe for two years. I made some money by robbing criminals. If I was caught, I just used the Mist to convince them it hadn't happened. But I decided that we needed an education. We managed to stay at a school for two years. I summoned a Spawn of Tartarus to guard Nick at nursery school – they are a type of monster strong enough to defeat all sorts of creatures, even if they are forced to do so.

"Cassandra skipped eighth grade – for some reason, she wasn't dyslexic. So we both went to Goode for our freshman year. But another spawn attacked us at Goode. I saw _him _there, too." Here he jerked his head towards me. "I knew he could tell I was something else besides a mortal. So I tossed a fireball at him, thinking him to be a monster. He didn't die. I knew that I was outclassed, so I ran. When he chased, I blew him into a wall. Then I took the Gray Sisters' taxi here, hoping to find a brief refuge from the monster. Except, obviously, he was a demigod, so he came here, too. The end."

He finished with another glare at me. As calmly as I could, I explained events from my perspective.

"But Rachel needs medical attention," I said. "I couldn't take her to mortal hospitals – obviously they wouldn't believe us without a parent there," My heart suddenly skipped a beat, thinking of what my mom would think about all of this. She would be worried.

Chiron looked at Annabeth, who nodded. She almost always cared for the wounded here at camp. Annabeth put Rachel up on a stretcher, and then took her into the next room.

"As for you two –" began Dionysus, but suddenly he was cut off by a hissing voice, spoken directly into our minds.

_Send all three. They must hear what I have to say._

We stood there for a moment, frozen in shock. Because there was only one thing that could sound like that.

It was undoubtedly the voice of the Oracle.

**That was fun to write… So, now that you have some backround info on Soaron, what do you think of him? Is he psycho? Is he right? And what role does he play in the tapestry of the Fates?**

**Until next chapter!**

**Sa Rart**


	5. Gatherings

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO. I own all the things that don't appear in the story.**

**Author's Note: Thanks again to all my reviewers! Anyway, this is a very important chapter; read it carefully. It is Percy's POV. Whatever… why do I even bother writing these things? I bet half the people here don't even read it.**

**Anyway, sorry for the long wait. This chapter is informational, so read carefully. Next chapter is when it starts getting really exciting.**

We all froze. Even Mr. D. looked shocked. The Oracle had literally demanded us to come into the attic. Next it would be fighting in the war, if it kept on this streak.

Cassandra was deathly pale, and Soaron was looking… almost scared. Only Chiron was unaffected; if he was surprised, he didn't show it.

"Well," said Chiron carefully, "You three better head up there."

"What about Annabeth?" I asked. "As long as the Oracle is holding audiences, it would be best to get her up there, too; we could use someone that has a good memory."

Soaron looked miffed. "I am a grandson of Athena. Though I may not be as brilliant as your girlfriend, I can remember pretty much anything I hear."

I choked, glaring at him. "Annabeth is _not _my girlfriend! She's a friend!"

Soaron snorted. "Yeah, and Poseidon flies."

I glared at him again, but suddenly I noticed the others' reactions. A slight smiled played across Chiron's rugged face; Mr. D. was smirking at me. Cassandra was choking back fits of laughter.

"At any rate, we should get going. The Oracle is not overly patient," I said, ignoring their various displays of amusement.

"Um… where are we going?" asked Cassandra.

"Up," I replied grimly, starting to climb the stairs. Soaron and Cassandra followed.

Four flights and a trapdoor up, we were in the attic. Soaron immediately walked over to the Hydra head on the wall, inspecting it. Cassandra was fascinated by the pink scarf on the table.

"Come on," I hissed. "Let's just get this over with."

"Fine," retorted Soaron. "Come on, Cassandra." He ushered her over to his side, smacking the scarf out of her hand when she tried to take it with her. Together, we cautiously approached the Oracle.

"Yuck," said Cassandra. It was kind of disgusting, but I had gotten used to it. I had already seen it twice; a couple more times wouldn't hurt me.

Soaron didn't say a word.

The Oracle sat up, inspecting us with glassy eyes. Then the mummy's mouth opened, and green mist came pouring out. An image formed, like a movie, showing a scene.

_The Huntress_, hissed the Oracle. _Watch._

_Zoë Nightshade walked into a huge, shining, black obsidian cave. She looked younger then I had seen her. She was dressed in simple brown leather armor, and had an intricate sheath at her waist. The sword inside was not visible, but the hilt stuck out. It was silver, and was glowing with a slight aquamarine light. There was a large emerald set into it._

_"Interesting sword," said a light, female voice. "Haven't seen celestial steel in a long time."_

_Zoë froze. "How did you know?"_

_. "I am the Oracle of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python, the dragon of Delphi, which lies in your future as well. I can see things hidden to mortals, demigods, and the gods themselves. You are none of those. Approach, seeker and ask."_

_"What do you mean? I am not any of them. I'm a mortal, now."_

_"You are much more than that, Zoë Nightshade. Ask."_

_Zoë swallowed looking nervous. "What is my destiny?" she asked._

_Ugly green light flared, then exploded out of the priestess's mouth and eyes. Thick fog filled the temple. Then another light flickered into existence: a silvery white light. A sword flew out of the sheath at her waist. It was enormous: a foot longer than Riptide. It hung in the air, battling with the green fog to illuminate the room._

"_When the sword is too much to bear,_

_Bring it to the kraken's lair,_

_There long-forgotten guardian sleeps_

_None can find it in the deeps._

_But, Zoë Shade of the Night,_

_More awaits thee; see in sword's sight,_

_A future of wonder, and danger, as well._

_Beware of those whose swords can sell_

_The Titans rise, you shall fall_

_But revive again, for the good of all._

_Live and die by your blade_

_Heed my words, Zoë Nightshade_

_Seek the help of the mythology grand,_

_Forgotten in long-ago Egypt sand_

_In the tundra of the North_

_Do not stop; journey forth_

_Lest you waken the sleep of the ice_

_Less than an hour shall suffice._

_And lost are you to history_

_Until timeless once again you be."_

_And with that, the green mist shot back into the Oracle's mouth._

The images disappeared, and the fog lessened a bit. I could see the Oracle looking at Cassandra.

_A gift, from servant to mistress. _A bolt of green light shot out, striking Cassandra full in the face. She was knocked over backwards.

The Oracle turned to Soaron next. _And another for you, son of the magic._ Another bolt of energy slammed into the boy, sending him staggering back a few paces.

_And the prophecy,_ hissed the spirit of Delphi, and its voice rang out into the raging fog.

_Bring the Huntress to the earth_

_Now again, the hope of the future rebirth._

_Seek from her that which is Forgotten_

_That which she hid beneath the waves._

_Bring her brethren, those who Hunt_

_They who bear of death the brunt._

_Sacrifice sword and constellation_

_Find her in the final region._

_Seek to close Tartarus hole._

_But they who leave rend body and soul._

_When this is done, return her to me_

_To reveal the next of she and thee._

And with that, the green mist retreated into the Oracle's mouth. But as it did, a final phrase hissed out.

_Do not tell any who do not leave on the quest. You three must take two others and the Hunt. Those who do not leave have traitors in their midst._

The Oracle finished this with a blast of extreme power that blew us all out of the attic. The trapdoor gave way, and we were bodily thrown down four flights of stairs and back into the main room. I could've sworn that there was a peal of laughter from above. Just what I need; an Oracle with a wicked sense of humor.

Chiron looked at us in mild surprise as we crashed into the room. Mr. D. snorted, obviously amused.

"What did it say?" asked Annabeth, emerging from the hall. I heard a slight pang of envy in her voice.

"It –" I began, but before I could finish, Soaron cut me off. "We can't tell you unless you are coming along on the quest. The Oracle forbids it."

Chiron frowned. "I fear this war is bringing changes. The Spirit of Delphi has never forbidden the sharing of the prophecy."

"It said to take two others and the Hunt," I remembered. "Grover and Tyson are both busy, though." I glanced at Soaron and Cassandra. Both nodded, guessing my intention. Soaron grinned wickedly.

I turned back to Annabeth. "You're up for another quest?"

She grinned. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, Seaweed Brain."

"That just leaves one other," remarked Cassandra. "What about that son of Hades?"

I nodded, and then suddenly did a double take. "Wait a second… How did you know about him?"

She shrugged. "The Oracle, I think. It gave me memories, information."

"That saves a lot of time," I remarked to no one in particular. "You, too?" I asked Soaron.

He nodded. "He could be… useful…where we are going."

I nodded. Turning to Chiron, I said, "We have to summon the Hunt. They are needed for this quest."

"Oh, I don't think _we_ need to," remarked Mr. D., idly twirling a grape vine in his fingers.

Everyone looked at him.

Dionysus looked up innocently, eyes wide. "The Oracle obviously is becoming more active. I felt a burst of power from upstairs, heading _that_ way." He lazily stretched a finger towards the west. "I wondered what it was at the time, but, obviously, the Oracle was summoning those necessary for the quest."

"But how do we contact Nico?" Annabeth wondered aloud.

"I wouldn't worry about that, either," declared Dionysus, leaning back in his chair.

"So… we just wait till they arrive?" asked Annabeth.

"I suppose," said Mr. D., yawning. "Pinochle, anyone?"

Thalia's POV

Artemis gestured with a hand, beckoning the Hunt in. I peered around the tree, and my heart nearly stopped. The Erymanthian boar was standing not twenty yards away, ripping the pine needles out of a huge evergreen.

I quietly laid an arrow on the string, then raised the bow, drawing the string taut. Glancing over at Artemis, I saw that she was slowly stepping out from behind the tree, nocking and drawing in one smooth motion. The arrow began to glow, power gathering around her like a cloak.

The boar turned. One huge eye saw the goddess standing there calmly, bow drawn. With a squeal of rage, the gargantuan creature charged at the goddess.

As Artemis aimed one last time, a blast of _something_ struck her, sending greenish wisps of energy wafting out as it hit.

The boar bore down on her, murderous tusks lowered.

I had to do something! I fired, sending the arrow whizzing out into the boar's side. "Fire!" I called.

A dozen arrows, all well-aimed, flew. Only two missed.

Squealing, the best veered, swinging towards us.

"Scatter!" I called, dropping bow. As the rest of the Hunt scattered, I yanked my spear out, then tapped the bracelet on my wrist. It spiraled out into Aegis. Though I rarely used them nowadays, I always kept all the weapons I could with me.

The boar swung its massive head, knocking down trees as it charged at me. More arrows shot towards it, but its sheer speed caused most of them to miss.

As it lunged forward, I rolled sideways, and then drove my spear into its hindquarters as it ran past. All well and food, except for the fact that my spear was yanked out of my hands as it charged past.

"Acacia! Now!" I yelled to my second-in-command.

For a heart-stopping moment, nothing happened. Then there was a deafening rumble, then a tractor tumbled down the mountain, slamming into the boar and pinning it to the ground.

I grinned. For every monster we hunted, Acacia and I made a backup plan in case something went wrong. This was only the second time we had needed to use it.

My grin faded as the boar rolled to its feet, tossing the tractor aside like a toy. It rose, then charged me, head lowered.

I lowered Aegis, exposing the sharpened end to the boar. As it drew near, I flung myself at it, throwing all my body weight into the blow.

The serrated edge bit deeply into the boar. Blood spurted, telling me I had hit a major artery. The huge creature shuddered, then faded into darkness, drawn back into Tartarus.

"Well done."

All of us turned, Acacia dropping off the cliff above us where she had stationed the tractor. The voice came from Artemis, who had risen to her feet. Although she looked a bit shaky, she was able to stand.

Taking out a hunting horn, she blew, summoning the moon chariot from above.

"What is it, my lady?" I asked, confused.

"A summons," she answered.

"From who?" That was Stevena, a new recruit from Nevada.

Artemis took a deep breath. "The Oracle of Delphi," she replied.

"What?!" There were a few moments of confusion, as everyone raised there voices in questions. It ended as Artemis made a small gesture with her hand.

"Just get in," she said. "I don't know myself."

All fourteen of us piled into the chariot without complaint. Well, almost no complaint.

Somehow, I knew what the problem was. Percy. He was always at the heart of every bit of trouble that struck Western Civilization.

As if to echo my thoughts, Acacia muttered to me, "Bet your cousin has got himself into trouble again."  
"I bet you a drachma you're right."  
"That's not fair! I would bet the same thing!"

"Whatever."

Suddenly I knew something. I don't know how, or why, but somehow, I knew what this quest would be about.

"There's someone else who this quest involves," I heard myself say.

"Oh, really?" Acacia looked at me curiously.

"Zoë Nightshade."

There was a sharp intake of breath from around the chariot. Even Artemis looked shocked.

"She's dead, Thalia. Are you feeling okay?" asked Lena, one of the more tactless members.

I glared at her. "Would I have said so if I wasn't?"

"Yes, you –" began Lena, but Mathilda, another one of my close friends, cut her off.

"Shut up and listen, Lena. If you didn't open your big mouth so much, you would know a lot more."

I grinned at Mathilda before answering. "I don't know. It's just a feeling I have, like the time we walked into that Laistragonian lair in Wyoming."

Everyone shuddered, remembering that. It had been less than a month ago, and three Hunters had been killed. If I hadn't warned everyone, only Artemis would have survived.

I closed my eyes, probing at the reaches of my memory. Or was it my memory?

"One other person. Someone called… Odessa."

**That was fun… **

**So, anyway, I just wrote almost 2,500 words there, so I expect at least a few reviews. I know you're out there… Review!**

**Thanks again! Until next chapter!**

**~Sa Rart~**


	6. Those Who Have Passed

**Disclaimer: I do not own the PJO series. I hate disclaimers.**

**Author's Note: Thanks again to all of those wonderful people who actually review when they read. You guys make my day.**

**And here is Chapter 6! From Percy's POV to start. Also, just so that you guys know, I had to cut off Nico's last appearance in BOTL. It didn't fit in with my plot.**

I parried a Hunter's knife, and then swung, smashing her aside with the flat of my blade. As she struggled to her feet, I smashed her in the face with my shield, felling her.

Things had moved with extraordinary speed once the Hunters had arrived. Nico had also come to camp, no doubt feeling the Oracle's summons. He and Soaron had almost instantly become friends.

We had taken Artemis and the Hunt aside and told them of the prophecy. They had paced and were all ready to leave.

But first, we were to play our game of Capture the Flag. The plan was to leave right afterward.

Soaron, Nico, Annabeth, and I were guarding the flag; we had stuck it into a small brook that came off the stream. Still, it was fairly deep in the water, and that gave me an advantage.

But the Hunters, in a brilliant maneuver, had taken out more than half the assembled campers, then tied and gagged them while others engaged the few remaining campers. Travis, Connor, Beckonderf, Silena, Cassandra, and Clarisse were the only ones left, besides us. The others who had survived the initial massacre had since been felled under Thalia's amazing commanding.

A blast from Soaron sent another Hunter off balance, while Nico lunged forward and held her on the ground with one foot. Scanning the nearby trees, I saw a brief respite of the attack; evidently "I'm going in," I told the others.

Beckonderf frowned. "Remember what happened the last time that happened? Zoë came in here and stole the flag from under our noses."

Clarisse smacked him on the back of his head. "Zoë can't exactly do that this time." To me, she added, "We'll cover you."

I blinked in surprise; it seemed that Clarisse had actually decided to be nice, for a change. I would have thought a bit more on that, but there was a flag to steal. I nodded my thanks before sprinting across into Hunter territory.

A Huntress from atop a tree fired, but I caught the arrow on my shield. Travis fired his own arrow in return, catching the Hunter in the leg. Luckily, we had agreed to use blunted tips.

I leapt into the stream, letting its energy fill me, and then called the water forth, letting it propel me up above the trees, straight over top of the main force of the Hunters. My fall was cushioned by none other than Thalia, who was atop a tree.

"Oof!" she grunted as I slammed into her. We were both thrown out and landed on the ground heavily. Nevertheless, she scrambled to her feet and let an arrow fly at me.

I slashed wildly, and actually managed to hit the arrow, knocking it from the air. As if it was a courtesy to be observed before a fight, Thalia laid her bow on the ground. Tapping her bracelet, she revealed Aegis, and then drew her spear from its container in her pocket.

"You were always one of the few people that could best me," she told me. Then she drew breath to shout. I couldn't let her get help, so I took the direct approach; I charged her, hitting her with the point of my shoulder and sending her flying. She hit the base of Zeus's fist hard, but she managed to stagger to her feet. Somehow, she had managed to keep a hold on her weapons.

I leapt at her, intending to finish her off, but Thalia rolled aside with incredible dexterity before zapping me with a couple hundred volts of electricity.

I smelled burning, and I ignored it. Concentrating, I struck at her with a hammer of water from the stream before dousing her with another blast. She staggered forward, and I was instantly upon her, dealing a vicious swipe to her stomach with the flat of my blade.

She gasped, but she was still able to twist aside from my next jab and retaliate with a stab of her own. I blocked, but just barely, and she was able to follow up by slamming Aegis into my face. The aura bore into me, its malevolent power boring into my mind.

Thalia drew breath to call yet again, but, this time, I thought if a much better method. I blasted her with a powerful geyser from the stream that literally propelled her into the air and tossed her at least fifty feet. She crashed heavily down, and promptly got stuck in a tree. That would keep her out of the way for a while!

I raced further into Hunter territory, felling a surprised Huntress with a blow to the head from my sword hilt. I ran on, ignoring the thump as she hit the ground.

A flash of silver caught my eye, and I stopped running with such abruptness that I lost my footing and fell headlong into a bush. Spitting out dirt, I hauled myself back to my feet and grabbed the silken cloth that was the Hunters' flag. I glanced around one last time to make sure I was not walking into an ambush.

"Hello, Percy." The voice came from behind me, and was incredibly familiar. I spun around to see none other than the lost Huntress, Zoë Nightshade.

"Zoë!" I gasped, shocked. "But… you…"

She rolled her eyes. "Boys. I get so annoyed when people are so slow on the uptake. I would not have expected it from thee, however."

"Well, what am I supposed to say? I don't just see dead people floating around every day, you know," I snapped. I was completely and utterly confused. Zoë had been made into a constellation, but that didn't stop the sad truth; Zoë was _dead._ So how was she here now?

Zoë let out a sigh, looking more serious now. "I am dead, Percy. But so little of me is actually here in the Underworld. I put part of my soul into your blade, and the constellation takes away more yet. I also… made another weapon. But I cannot tell you from here! Kronos will be able to hear every word I say to thee, even long after I say it. You must come here, to the Underworld, and _soon. _He has sensed it already – not even its current keeper can keep it safe from the Titan Lord."

"Whoa, wait a second. You aren't dead?"

The former lieutenant rolled her eyes yet again. "No, I'm not! But I will be if thy quest does not release me from the Underworld. It is like Orpheus – you must take me here, although you can forget about the part of not looking back. That's not necessary – not with the Titan war on hand." Her form wavered. "I cannot stay here – finish your game and _go_!" With that, she disappeared in a burst of mist.

I'll admit it – I was stunned. So I was completely unprepared for the blow to my head that felled me the second it hit. If I had been awake to see it, I would have seen myself get dragged away by a tall figure to a pile of unconscious bodies where I was tossed like a useless piece of trash.

**I know that I'll get flames for that cliffhanger – but it was worth it. I would give up a lot to be able to see the expressions on your faces as you read it.**

**Ah, well… that's the price I pay for writing fanfictions. I've no doubt I'll be hearing from you guys soon!**

**~Sa Rart~**


	7. The Final Region

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, although I do own all of my OCs and weapons, as well as the portrayals of the gods. **

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for the long wait – my school's semester just ended, and I had more homework I would have dreamed possible. This chapter was hard for me – I'm not that good at connecting the main events in my stories. Any reviews would be immensely helpful.**

**Thanks again to my reviewers! And Happy Thanksgiving!**

Cold water splashed in my face, making me sputter. I jerked to my feet, Riptide already in my hand. In this case, however, it was unneeded. My "attacker" was just Annabeth, still holding the bucket. She looked amused.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain. It's time to wake up from your beauty sleep."

"What happened?" I asked, somewhat groggily.

She snorted. "Oh, nothing much. One of the Hunters – Phoebe, I think – just knocked you over the head while you were distracted." Annabeth glanced around uneasily, then bent closer and hissed, "Meet us at Thalia's pine at two in the morning. We're leaving then." With that, she strolled off towards the archery field, leaving me to stare after her, bewildered.

Later, in the Poseidon cabin, I lay awake in bed, pondering what Zoë had said. Or was it Zoë? Kronos could easily make an apparition like that… but how would he arrange the Oracle's words? Nobody could control the Oracle.

And how would he manage to do that in Camp's borders? No, he couldn't. I discarded that possibility. But could that really have been Zoë?

I tossed in my bed, uneasy. This entire affair was making me nervous. And the Oracle's prophecy was so… different from normal. Most prophecies were only a couple lines long, not many short phrases.

I glanced at the clock. Ten till one. I slid out of bed, grabbed my pack, and made sure I had a couple drachmas with me. Then I slipped out the door and crept towards Half-Blood Hill.

Peleus was curled around its trunk, snoring gently. Thalia sat on the lowest branch, right next to the Fleece.

She looked up at me, looking like a child who has forgotten where they put their security blanket. "It's so strange to sit here," she murmured. "It's like I left a part of me in here when the Fleece healed me."

I had no answer.

She looked up, eyes fixed on the Huntress constellation. "Is this what she felt?" she asked the stars. "Did Zoë feel like this when she made your sword?"

I shrugged, and then told her of my encounter with Zoë.

"_What_? She talked to you? Why didn't I hear about this earlier? When did this happen? _How _did this happen? What did she say?"

I shrugged again, looking up at Zoë's constellation. "Yes, she came to me during Capture the Flag. She said that it had something to do with Riptide – like she put her soul in it or something. She said something about another weapon, and that she couldn't say anything else, since Kron – the Titan Lord could hear it."

Thalia sighed, looking up at stars again. "How is it that I am never there when it gets interesting?" she asked the stars. We sat in silence after that.

A couple minutes later, we were joined by Annabeth, Cassandra, and Soaron. A few minutes after that, the Hunt arrived.

"Everyone ready?" murmured Artemis.

We all nodded.

She said nothing, but pulled out a hunting horn and blew. The soft noise seemed to rise up to the stars. Seconds later, her chariot flew down, pulled by the familiar deer.

We piled in, and the deer took off, racing across the sky quickly and easily.

Though the deer went fast, we needed to traverse the entire country. The journey took a little over five hours. And for a half blood with ADHD, it was torture. I won't go into any details.

After a long five hours, we arrived in LA. The chariot dropped us off before pulling away into the sky.

"So what now?" asked Cassandra. "Where's the Underworld?"

Everyone glanced at Annabeth and me. "I have no idea," I said. "We just… kind of wandered around until we found it. There was a bunch of kids who chased us, and we ran away and somehow got into Procrustes's Place, and he had directions to the Underworld."

Nico snorted in amusement. "We don't need to rely on such crude methods. I'm a son of Hades – I can sense the Underworld. This way." With that, Nico strode down an alley to our left. Soaron and I exchanged glances, and then followed him, and we in turn were followed by Annabeth, Cassandra, and the Hunt.

About five blocks down, we found DOA recording studios. I shuddered, remembering past experiences here. None of them were pleasant.

"Everyone ready?" asked Nico. We all nodded. And without further ado, he spun around and pushed open the door.

Charon looked up, obviously startled at the size of the party coming in. He looked much the same, except that he had an Italian coat that was even more extravagant than last time, no doubt because of our drachmas.

When he saw Nico, his mouth twisted ruefully. "Passage, I expect?" he asked with a sigh. "Here I am, a son of Nyx herself, and instead of creating an empire, I toil as the boatman for Hades. Why do I do it?"

Nico glared at him. "Because you swore to my father upon the River Styx that you would. Now take us across!"

Charon shook his head. "Not without payment. You need coin."

Nico dug in his pocket, but came up with nothing. "Anyone got anything?" he asked, looking embarrassed.

"I do," said Soaron, and tossed three coins made of a black metal onto the podium.

A collective hiss went through assembled spirits. Artemis and Charon both recoiled as if stung. Annabeth gasped, and Nico took a cautious step backwards.

"Where did you get those…_things?_" growled Artemis, a hunting knife in her hand.

"What are they?" I asked, feeling slightly stupid.

"The coins of the Titans," replied Annabeth, her knife half drawn. They are worth an incredible amount, but only the major Titans had permission from the Old One to use them. They are made of obsidian, and are harvested by slaves out of the Mountain of Despair. The Olympians destroyed them when they defeated the Titans. Rumor is that they are cursed."

"You demigods think you are so strong, so great," spat Soaron. "When, in reality, you are weaklings. You think your way is the only thread of the Fates, and refuse to see the larger part of the tapestry, even when the shears loom above you. I know better. The Titans are not gone. They never were. But you seem to think that all Titans are bloodthirsty brutes. Some of them are, but what of Leto? Of Rhea, of Hekate? They only wish to live in peace, instead of being hunted by the gods. They have lived here for hundreds of millennia, while the gods have been here less than five!"

"That still doesn't answer Artemis's question," said Thalia, spear in hand.

"Hekate gave them to me," Soaron replied. "She has enough. But if you attempt to unmask her, she will destroy you and your Hunt."

"She could try," Artemis growled back, tensing.

"Only if you do, first," Soaron replied. "Hekate could easily destroy a new goddess."

"Shut up!" I yelled. "Everyone, just…shut up!"

Everyone stopped, out of sheer shock than anything else. I felt the heat rush to my face, but I ignored my embarrassment. I plowed on.

"We're all on the same side! Hekate is _helping _the gods, not attempting to destroy them! Just because she and her son have a pile of coins from seven thousand years ago doesn't mean they are our enemies!"

Nobody said anything, but Annabeth and Thalia were gaping at me.

"Seaweed Brain," said Thalia. "I think that, for once, you might actually be right." I glared at her.

"Maybe so, but I really don't care either way," remarked Charon. His hand shot out and grabbed the coins. "These are sufficient payment, so I will take you. I will even call of Three-Face, if that is what you wish."

"We am grateful," replied Artemis, albeit a bit stiffly.  
"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Nico. "Take us, Charon!"

Charon lunged forward and grabbed Nico at his throat, moving with supernatural speed. Annabeth lunged forward with dagger out, but Charon spat a burst of black energy at her that sent her reeling backwards.

"Just because your father is my lord, that does not mean that I must obey your every whim," growled Charon. "I do not play favorites. I may pretend to be inept, but I am a son of Nyx herself, one of the Great Ones that ruled at the beginning of time. A wise person would not trifle with me." He tossed Nico aside like a toy.

"I will take all of you across," said Charon, addressing all of us. "But not because Nico commands me to, not because Artemis asks me to, but because the son of Hekate has paid me. I will listen to what he asks; he is the one that was willing to give something up to pass." Charon bowed deeply to Soaron. "As you command, my lord."

Soaron nodded, as imperious as a king. "Thank you, Charon. Please take us across."

Charon nodded, and stepped into the elevator, beckoning for us to follow. We did.

As the elevator descended, I glanced sidelong at Soaron. He might be a son of a Titan, and he may have attacked and nearly killed both me and Rachel, but, in spite of it, I trusted him. He might not be as reliable as Annabeth or Thalia, but I sensed that he had a good heart. I know that sounds cheesy, but who really cares?

Annabeth and Thalia, of course, I knew I could trust, regardless of the situation. I also felt that, while the Hunt might not like boys very much, they would not hesitate to rescue a companion, except for a girl named Halle, who had made clear her contempt for the opposite gender.

And Cassandra? I glanced at her. She was the unpredictable member in the party. She seemed to always be on the edges of our group, listening but not talking, learning but not sharing. I didn't know her well enough to judge her character, though.

But as we descended, both Thalia and Cassandra seemed to grow more uneasy. I inspected them closely, but I could not find any of the distinguishing qualities that might make Cassandra Zeus's daughter. She had green eyes, not blue, and she had yet to show any demonstration of powers, either.

So who was Cassandra? Who was her parent? I was startled to realize how much parentage meant to me. It helped characterize what a person might be like, what they might do.

And then we were no longer in the elevator. We were on the barge as Charon poled us across to the Underworld. But it was very different then it had been before.

"Di immortales," breathed Artemis

"Oh my gods," murmured Annabeth.

The Underworld was aflame, filled with strange, wolf like creatures with powerful shoulders and forelegs. Huge pits filled with flame served as their eyes. Their claws were at least a foot long, and glinted with an unnatural fiery light. The creatures were roughly fifteen feet long and about six feet tall.

"Tartarian spawn," said Soaron, his eyes fixed upon the creature. "But what's wrong with their claws?"

Artemis looked shocked. "Claws of Krios," she replied. "When the claws touch flesh, they strike body, mind and soul. A solid blow will drive you insane, as well as affect your shade. If the wounds are not treated, they become poisoned and infected. The last time they were out in force was the First Titan War."

"Stop the barge," Soaron told Charon. The boat keeper obeyed, digging the pole into the filthy water of the River Styx. We stood there for a moment, surveying the awful scene.

Hades' palace still was whole. Spawn were battering at the gates, but skeletons were guarding it with guns, spears, arrows, and pretty much every other weapon that had ever been used in the history of mankind. The Furies, too, were guarding the palace.

"We have to get over there," said Artemis. "Hades is the only lord that can revive Zoë."

Nico spun at her and glared. "Zoë isn't the only one who matters! The Underworld will become the Titan's territory. Once they are here, they can blast holes to the surface and get to any pretty much any spot in California or Arizona. The West Coast will be theirs. We need to stop them here and now."

"That makes sense," agreed Annabeth. "Our advantage against the Titans is that they are outcast, with very little ground to assemble. Once they have that, we will be on equal footing."

"We might not be able to hold against the Titans," said Soaron. "In the first war, we also had the element of surprise. We won't have that, and the Titans are older and more powerful than the gods."

"We will have plenty of time to prepare," argued Lena, a Huntress. "We can prepare fortifications, and cluster around the Underworld. If we do, the Titans will be cornered with nowhere to go."

"Not so," said Thalia. "They also hold San Francisco, and the entire Mount Saint Helen area will soon be demolished by Typhon. We don't have enough troops to cordon off all these areas, and they will have access to the seas from Frisco."

"We have to reveal ourselves to the mortals," said Cassandra quietly. "If we can persuade them to join us in the war against the Titans, we will have more than enough troops to hold them off."

Everyone stared at her in shock. A Huntress named Acacia was the first to recover.

"It's a good idea, but there are several problems," she said. "One, just as many mortals help Titans, especially if they offer pay. Two, all the religious fanatics would be outraged at us, and maybe even attack. Three… most of them wouldn't believe us."

Silence greeted these words.

"So," said Nico. "Does this mean we're going to save the Underworld?"

**To be continued…**

**That was hard to write for me. I know the journey seemed a little rushed, but I can't exactly talk about a five hour flight for very long. **

**Aside from that, what do you guys (and girls) think? Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated – I don't get offended easily.**

**And Happy Thanksgiving to all!**

**~Sa Rart~**


	8. Gaia's Blessing

**Disclaimer: I do not own the PJO series.**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. I have been very busy these past couple weeks, and haven't had a chance to write whatsoever. I just turned in my science fair board – now that that's done, I'll be able to write more often.**

**Thanks again to my reviewers, who included dnrl, storm-brain, Zoë Nightshade, MyPenIsSharperThanYourSword, naoman16, EarthShaker, and sistergrimm2. That list is getting longer all the time.**

**Anyways, down to business: This chapter is from Annabeth's point of view. Read carefully; this chapter is very important. It is also, if I may say so myself, quite exciting. Enjoy!**

The Underworld was in ruins. Places I had walked past not three years ago were now smoldering rubble. Persephone's garden was a smoking ruin. The judging booth was crushed.

We looked at it all, somewhat in shock. The Underworld had always been a place of the dead, but… now it was truly dead.

"I don't understand," said Stevena, staring around at the carnage. "What happened? Why didn't Hades send for help?"

"How?" I pointed out. "The Titans have probably kept him bottled up inside his castle, where he can't send for help. Also, he can't send an IM without sunlight."

"We need to help my father," said Nico worriedly, glancing at the fortress. "If the Underworld falls, the Titans will soon gain complete control of the coast."  
"We don't have time," Thalia told him. "We have to get Zoë out _now_, so our quest can return to the Oracle."

"If the Titans keep the Underworld, they'll beat us," stated Percy bluntly. Artemis glared at him, which he ignored.

"Wait…" I said, an idea beginning to form.

"Uh-oh," murmured Percy. "I don't like that look. That's what nearly got us killed last time." He was joking, I think.

I gave him a glare that would curdle milk before returning my gaze to the rest of the group. "We can't let the Titans keep the Underworld, but _we _don't need to have it either. It doesn't give us a tactical advantage."

"And how do you propose we do that?" demanded Artemis. "What can any of us do to stop the Titans from taking it back?"

I looked at Percy hopefully. "Could you do it?" I asked. "Your father is the god of earthquakes."

He was already shaking his head, and my heart sank. "No," he said flatly. "I can't."

He failed to elaborate, and I made a mental note to ask him later.

"Could Hades?" asked Cassandra.

"No," replied Artemis flatly. "None but Poseidon could."  
Soaron's head suddenly snapped around, glaring at Artemis. "What about Rhea?" he asked, eyes glittering fiercely. "Gaia could, and maybe Hekate, too. What about Erebus? What of Tartarus himself? The Olympians are not the only gods in this world, _Lady._ There are others far older and more powerful."

"Um, guys?" said Thalia timidly. "Just something –"

"Do not presume to teach _me_, boy," growled Artemis. "I –"

"Or Njord, and maybe Osiris" said Soaron, voiced raised. "We are not alone on this earth."

I felt a shiver run down my spine. I had no idea of whom he spoke of, but the names resonated, ringing in the air longer than they should have. They sounded familiar, and… powerful. Like the name of a god.

But at any rate, Soaron was defying the first rule of the weird, twisted, demigod world. You must never ever defy or offend a god. If that meant you grovel to them on your hands and knees, then you do it. Soaron was very rash, very brave, or very stupid.

With a yell of fury, Artemis threw out a hand, pointing it at Soaron. White light streamed out of her palm, sending a white-hot beam of moonlight sizzling straight toward him.

Hekate's son didn't even flinch. He sent up a shield of humming golden energy to block it. The moonlight bounced off harmlessly, ricocheting into the ceiling.

"Something you should really know –" began Thalia, but Artemis cut her off.

"Not now, Thalia."

Quicker than a snake, the Goddess of the Hunt snatched an arrow, fitted it on the bow, and fired, sending a glowing arrow right at him. It never reached its target. Faster than Artemis, even, Charon snatched the arrow from the air as it whizzed past him towards Soaron. He calmly snapped it in two, and then tossed it backwards into Persephone's garden.

"You forget yourself," said the bowman smoothly. "You are acting like a spoiled mortal. Gods are not entitled to kill mortals simply because they are not respectful. Especially on a quest as important as this one." Charon smiled broadly, showing skull-teeth. "Especially when he's right."

"You –" began Artemis, but Thalia slammed into her side, knocking her to the ground. A split second later, a spawn leapt through the air, Claws of Krios slashing the air apart where Artemis's head had been.

"Ambush!" yelled Thalia, scrambling back to her feet. "Hunters, triple Theta lines!"

The Hunters responded instantly, moving smoothly into three lines, two with bows and the front with knives. I pulled my own knife from my sleeve and ran to join the rest of the group.

"Fire!" shouted Thalia, slashing her arm down through the air. Arrows leapt from the bowstrings, burying themselves in the spawn's vital points. The monstrous creature shuddered, then disappeared.

A split second later, the hillside to our right exploded, sending black lava dust drifting outwards. From the hole made, the same spawn jumped out. There were scars where the arrows had punctured, but no sign of the actual wounds.

It leapt, and Percy decapitated it with ease. Its body and head disappeared, and then it exploded out of the garden, a red scar ringing its neck like a collar.

"More of them!" called Cassandra, pointing to the right.

I turned my head, but I was struck by a mass of dank fur and snarling teeth before I could do a thing. I tumbled over several times before crashing into Artemis. She spun around and, with a quick slash of her hunting knife, disemboweled it,

I struggled back to my feet, shaky. I glanced around, and, sure enough, the spawn burst out of the ground again.

"Hades take them," I growled. "They won't die!"

Charon shook his head. "It's not that. They die – they just reform almost instantaneously. The Titans are not capable of bringing monsters back. I would pay my entire supply of drachmas in order to find out why."

I wasn't listening. The first few words had been enough to give me an idea. "Soaron!" I called. "Bind them with magic!"

Understanding showed on his face. Then he frowned. "I can't hold some twenty monsters for more than a couple minutes."

"Just do it," I ordered. "The Hunters all carry rope – they can bind them with that as soon as the spawn are immobilized."

He nodded. "Cover me." With that, he stepped back and began chanting in Ancient Greek. I only understood a couple words, but the tone and power behind them spoke of untold power.

Twenty seconds later, stone bands shot out of the ground, enveloping the spawns' paws in a cocoon. I glanced back at him, curious. "If I just create stone, only creating it takes energy," he explained. "If I used pure magic to bind them, I would have to maintain it."

I nodded. It made sense. "Everyone, we're moving on! Don't –"

One of the Hunters, Lena, leaned forward and stabbed one of them through. The spawn shuddered, then disappeared.

"– kill them," I finished. "They'll just come back." More loudly, I called, "Don't kill any more! They won't die, just pop up somewhere outside of the bonds. Be ready for the one Lena stabbed – it could pop up anywhere –"

Dramatically enough, it was at that second that it emerged – directly underneath our feet. We were blasted in all directions. The spawn glanced around, then lunged, raking its claws across a Hunter's throat. Blood sprayed, and the Hunter went limp.

It lunged again, at another Huntress, but she managed to roll aside so it streaked across her back instead of her throat. Even so, she still screamed as it struck.

It lunged at Cassandra next, but she was already on her feet. Desperately, she parried once, twice – then lunged, stabbing at the creature's chest.

It didn't hesitate. It leapt straight over top of her lunge, over her head. Then it spun around and slashed across the back of her neck. Cassandra screamed, then collapsed to her knees.

But I froze. The dirt around her rose up, encasing her in a cocoon of earth. When it fell away, there was no wound. At the same instant, a sign blazed over top of her head. A tree – the symbol of Gaia.

Cassandra calmly rose to her feet, green lightning crackling around her. When it had faded, she was now wearing a suit of armor made out of thick vines woven tightly together. Her sword – which had been a standard celestial bronze blade – was now a stiff, straight vine, the sides and tip edged with celestial bronze.

I was awestruck. Such a thing had not happened in ten thousand years, if ever. It was known as Gaia's blessing.

Gaia was one of the most ancient gods. As a god starts to get forgotten, they do fade – but a goddess as powerful as Gaia is can't fade. They just start to grow dormant. For lack over a better word, they sleep. Since time means so much less to them, they don't really mind how long they sleep for.

All the most ancient gods – Erebus, Tartarus, Nyx, Chronos, and the rest of them – are in sleep. But they have been like this for millennia, so it is uncertain that they will ever wake.

Gaia was one of the more active of the ancient gods. The legend went that, once every eternity, she had a child. And, once in a hundred eternities, she will bestow on them her blessing. She will give the blessed arms, armor, and a manifestation of her own incredible power. Such force, once trained, is practically unmatched except for perhaps a child of the Big Three. But their powers were of far more use in this situation. For vines and roots and the earth can bind, not just kill. And the power to bind is what we needed.

The spawn leapt for Cassandra again. She raised her sword, and vines shot out of the tip of the sword, entangling it and dragging it down. It continued to struggle, so the vines grew roots and sank down into the ground.

Then Cassandra turned to look at us, and I received yet another shock. I could not see Cassandra through those eyes. Her eyes were glowing with a prescence far more powerful than she could ever be. Gaia herself.

"Lady Artemis," said Cassandra's body. "The Titans have corrupted the Underworld. I have come to help. Follow."

Gaia spun around and strode towards Hades' palace. If monsters tried to attack, tree roots shot down from the surface and bound the unfortunate monster to the roof of the cavern.

At the gates, there was an entire legion of monsters striking at the gates. Gaia raised a hand, and the earth shrugged, sending the monsters flying. Wherever they landed, vines shot from the ground and pinned them there.

The gates were closed and locked. This didn't even faze the ancient goddess. She pointed, and immense vines shot from the earth, wrapping around the gates and wrenching them from there hinges.

We followed her inside, into the palace itself. But nothing could have prepared us for the sight we saw inside.

Hades was standing there, in his full twenty-foot tall god form, helm on his head. Facing him was a creature even larger than that.

"Thea," I whispered, horrified. Thea was a powerful Titan-goddess. Very few had seen her and lived, and therefore, there was very little known about her. But it was obvious that she was powerful enough to take on Hades,

There were no physical blows being exchanged. But I could see light streaming from both of them, twisting, feinting. It was kind of scary, in a way, to see such power.

Gaia looked like a toy compared to them. She was a fourth as high, and seemed like she could never best them.

Suddenly, Thea's head whipped around, and she actually took back a step. "Gaia?" she hissed. With a roar, she sprang into action, raising a foot as if to squash Gaia into the ground.

"Gaia," answered Gaia, and vines shot from the earth towards the titan-goddess, knocking her off her feet.

Artemis also stepped forward, growing to her full size as well. It seemed as though Thea was far outclassed, what with two Olympians and an ancient goddess against her. But she was not.

She rolled to her feet, snapping her fingers. Hundreds of Stymphilian birds materialized, aiming straight at Artemis.

Artemis raised her hands, and moonbeams flew, burning them up as they flew towards her. After they were gone, she turned the moonbeams on Thea, sending burning beams of light shooting towards her.

Thea deftly caught them, then hurled them at Hades. He sidestepped, but Thea raised both hands and sent an incredibly bright light shooting out. Hades staggered backwards, blinded. Instantly, Thea pounced, a curved sword forming in her hands. She sliced at him, but Artemis stepped in front of her uncle and blocked with her two hunting knifes crossed.

Thea disengaged, then swept her sword in a series of blows too fast for the eyes to follow. Artemis blocked them all, then swept one knife high, one knife low. Thea, with only one weapon, could not block. Instead, she retreated, slicing at Gaia as she did so.

Instead of blocking, Gaia opened up a chasm beneath Thea's feet. The titan-goddess fell, howling with fury. The chasm closed up, rippling the entire earth.

"Lord Hades," said Gaia, bowing slightly. "I am glad to find you able to old the Underworld."

The god shook his head. "Not for long," he answered. "They've been pressing me for weeks. I have not the strength left to stop all of them. The Underworld is lost. And if it is, so are the gods."

"Not quite," I said.

Gaia nodded. "I am here, Lord Hades, to seal the Underworld. The Titans will find other places to emerge, but they shall lose this advantage."

Hades absorbed this calmly. "What must I do?" he asked.

"Evacuate the souls," said Percy. "Get them out or reincarnate them. Gather all security ghouls and Cerberus and get them out, too. And… give us Zoë's shade."

I had expected there to be a huge debate about this, but Hades simply nodded and raised a hand. A glowing silver form appeared. Zoë.

Artemis shrank to mortal size, then drew from her pack a glowing set of miniature stars. "Your constellation," she said, tossing it forward. It melded with Zoë's shade, and she suddenly solidified, once again living.

"My Lady," she said, bowing. Then she turned to Hades. "My thanks to thee, my lord. I owe thee a debt." Then she turned to the Hunters and smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "It is good to see all of thee again."

Another form materialized next to her. A figure in silver garb, with caramel skin and black hair. Artemis gasped. "Odessa?" she whispered.

Odessa smiled. "My Lady," she said. "It is good to see thee again. But I am past. I haven't split myself like Zoë."

Artemis nodded. "I am sorry," she whispered.

The first lieutenant shook her head. "I made my own choice," she said. "Now go. They are coming. Get out!"

Artemis nodded. "Form out!" she called. "Go!"

"You may want to run," Gaia said. "The collapse has started already."

Everyone stared at her for a second. Then, as one, we sprang into action.

"Souls, evacuate!" shouted Hades. "Cerberus, Furies, ghouls, go with them! Do it fast!"

"Hunters, form out!" called Artemis. "Run, run, go!"

All of us broke into a run.

After that, all was chaos. I do not remember very much. Everyone was running, and what with millions of insubstantial shades and ghouls and a three-headed dog… I won't go into any details.

Finally, we made it out into the light of day. After we all were out, Gaia spun around. After several minutes, a vast space of Los Angeles simply dropped twenty feet into the ground as the Underworld collapsed. Alarms and screams broke out. Whatever the mortals thought of this, it would be really a mystery to them. It was kind of funny, in a way.

"I must leave now," said Gaia. "This work exhausts me. I must sleep." With that, a green mist – clean and pretty, unlike the Oracle – drifted out of Cassandra's mouth and eyes and disappeared into the breeze.

A groan escaped Cassandra's throat, and she opened her eyes groggily. "What just happened?" she asked sleepily.

I sighed. It would be a long ride back.

**And Zoë is rescued… I hope all of you guys enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Next chapter will be the last chapter, I'm afraid – I need to move on to the next story in the series.**

**Reviews would be nice, and constructive criticism would be, too. Thanks again!**

**~Sa Rart~**


	9. Forgotten Once More

**Disclaimer: I do not own the PJO series.**

**Author's Note: Thanks again for all the lovely reviews! I'm glad you liked the chapter.**

**Anyways, this is the last chapter of this story. The next story will be called Timeless, for anyone interested in reading it. Like this book, it will be a continuation of Rick Riordan's books.**

**I'm sorry this took me so incredibly long to update. I've been incredibly busy with school, sports, homework, etc. Hopefully, I'll be able to start the next one before people get so frustrated that they resort to PMs.**

**Anyway, I'm doing a chapter from Zoë's point of view this time – old habits die hard. Hope you like it!  
**

Stars twinkled in the sky above me – the first I had seen since the night on the Mountain of Despair. The air was fresh and clean, the first breath I had taken for more than a year. I can't tell you how good that first moment out of the Underworld felt.

I turned to look at the rest of LA, and, to my shock, I saw that over half of it had simply dropped roughly fifty feet down into the ground. The Underworld was gone.

"So what now?" asked Percy.

"Well, we brought Zoë out of the Underworld," said Annabeth. "And, apparently, now that she's alive, we have some hope against the Titans. But what does the Oracle mean, 'seek that which is forgotten?" Annabeth looked at me quizzically.

I took a deep breath. This was it. It was the time to retrieve my sword, the sword that I had left to the kraken all those years ago. Anticipation welled up inside of me, and I drew my breath to speak.

But some inner instinct caught me. I glanced at the Hunt, at Artemis, at the two other people who had come. My wandering eye caught two new recruits from the Hunt, and that four other members were missing.

Were these the people that were meant to go with me? All of them? And how was I to know who was destined to do so?

So, instead of blurting the story out, I simply said, "I'll tell you once we get back to camp. There's too much for me to tell all of you now, especially with all the mortals out. Let's get going."

Artemis drew out her horn and blew a note, summoning her deer and its drawn chariot. As always, it bounded from the sky, drawing the chariot behind it. I was struck by the beauty of it, after so long of being in the Underworld.

"Lord Hades," said Artemis, turning to the god standing behind us. "Will you come to Olympus with me? I will speak for you, and, if the others agree, you will be returned to the Olympian Council. With the Titans on hand, we cannot afford you to be an outsider."

I drew a startled breath, and I was not the only one to do so. Such a thing was unheard of. Hades had been banished before I was, even, and to take back such a sentence… it was astounding.

Hades nodded slightly, and stepped into the chariot. Nico stuck right behind him, perhaps awed by the sight of his father. Without a word, the rest of us piled in.

As the son of Hekate – Soaron, that was his name – climbed on, he turned to Artemis and asked, "What of Charon, and Cerberus? And the rest of the shades? We can't just leave them here."

I glanced back at the crowd, and drew a startled breath. There were countless billions of beings standing there, half transparent. At their head were the Furies. All of them were looking at us.

Artemis looked uncertain. "There is not enough room for all of them. I can't take them all."

Cerberus looked at Annabeth and whined pleadingly. To my shock, she reached out and petted all three heads. The dog's six eyes closed. Interesting. If all monsters were like that…

But memories instantly filled my brain. The Nemean Lion, the Hydra, Typhon. Most monsters couldn't live with mortals. It would end in disaster.

_Is it the monsters that cannot live with the mortals, or the mortals that cannot live with the monsters?_

_Shut up_, I snapped at the Oracle in my head. But, try as I might, I could not answer that question. An image of the kraken snapped into my head, and ships firing cannons at it. Shaking my head, I banished all thoughts of it from my head. I needed to stay focused. I needed to concentrate.

"We should take Cerberus and Charon, at least," said Soaron. "The Furies can fly with us, and the shades can follow on foot. They won't arrive for a couple weeks or so, but that's all right. The mortals will not be able to see them."

"I hate to say it," remarked Artemis, staring at the ground, "but we don't have a couple of weeks. The Titans will be delayed for a week, at most. We _need_ to get back to Olympus, _now._"

"No."

Artemis looked up, shocked at my objection. Obviously, Thalia was not disagreeing with Artemis as much as I had, otherwise she would be used to it.

"I have another thing that I need to do."

"That which she hid beneath the waves," quoted Soaron softly.

I glared at him. "There is a sword that I hid away, long ago. It was too powerful, and attracted too much attention. But we need it. If we don't get it, we will lose this war."

"But what is it?" asked Thalia, forward. The look on her face was eager, and… anticipation. I hoped that that was all that I saw. "What made it so incredibly powerful?

I shrugged. I hardly knew myself. "It's made of celestial steel –" A sudden gasp from Soaron cut me off. I glared at him. "What?" I asked.

He stood up, glancing around at the audience. "Do any of you know what celestial steel is?" he inquired. Heads shook.

"It is a material that is capable of vanquishing monsters at two paces. It is imbibed with its own unique power from the heavens, a power equaled by only the gods themselves. It absorbs energy from its environment around it, and strengthens it a hundredfold. The last weapon to be made of it was the Titan Lord's scythe. It can cut through anything at all, with practically no resistance. It binds itself to one person, and remains fixed on them until they die. And you went and made a _sword _with it?" Soaron looked at me. "Where did you get it in the first place?"

"It was being sold at an auction," I mumbled. I suddenly realized how ridiculous that sounded.

"An _auction?!_" Soaron sounded like Typhon, about to burst into flames.

"Enough," said Hades dark eyes glaring coldly at Soaron. "Let her speak."

"Thank you, Lord Hades," I said, dipping my head slightly in respect. I turned to the others once more. "If it is as powerful as Soaron makes it sound, we need it for this war."

"But how do we know that it hasn't been stolen?" asked Lena, frowning.

"Oh, I don't think we need to worry about _that._" I said, remembering the guard who had been there. To be precise, for those of you who do not know, the kraken.

I took a deep breath. "Percy, you and I need to go down to get it."

"Down?" asked Nico. "And why is Percy the only one that can do it."

I threw up my arms, exasperated. "Because it's underwater!"

"Oh," remarked Percy. "But can you go underwater? You don't have power over the sea."

I started to answer when, suddenly, I realized he was right.

"I can make the air bubbles form around you," said Percy. "That'll help, but if we… run into any trouble, and I am knocked out or killed, you will be, too."

"But if you can do that for her, you can do that for others!" said Nico triumphantly.

_No, _whispered the Oracle. _Four. You, Perseus, Thalia, and Annabeth. No more. _

_What about the next prophecy? _I asked it silently.

Laughter sounded in my mind. _There is none, _the Oracle said. _Yours is a free spirit, Zoë Nightshade. I cannot make prophecies when your fate is so entwined with the fate of others._

_What about the time on Mount Orthys? _I asked.

_That was different. I simply foretold your death. With your life, I can only give the most general predictions, else you would mess it all up in minutes._

_Thanks, _I told it sourly. This entire exchange had taken all of two seconds.

"No," I said in response to Nico's question. "Only Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth are allowed to come.

"What is the sword's name?" asked Thalia.

I smiled grimly, remembering the moment I had given it its name. "Forgotten." I answered. "For that is what I was, what I am, what I will be, until timeless once again I be."

**And so ends Child of the Titans. I know it seems like a bit of a cliffhanger, but it's not really. Nothing much happens for a while.**

**The next story will be called Timeless. It will be the beginning of a new series, called the Timeless series. Until then!**

**P.S. Any criticism, constructive or otherwise, is welcome. So are reviews in general. Also, I will be posting a couple oneshots on random gods/titans/characters, if anyone is interested.**

**Thanks again for taking the time to read my story. **

**~Sa Rart~**


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